Twilight Nightmares
by RissaRoni
Summary: A young girl by the name of Vincent finds herself in a web of trouble when she attends the infamous Cirque Du Freak with her brother.
1. Chapter 1

All was calm. The October wind blew through my hair, causing it to look ruffled. Golden and redened leaves fluttered on the trees of the park. I shifted myself into a more comfortable position and gripped the pic in my hand. Then, my own music swept me away with the breeze on a surf of smooth acoustic notes. My 2 best buds sat on either side of me watching me strum my own song, amazed at my progression in guitar.  
Something caused me to fumble.  
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw 2 men strolling through the area. It may sound perfectly normal, but they were......strange. They didn't fit in. Like wolves amung sheep. They just had a sort of thing about them.  
I turned my mind back to my music and forced myself to concentrate. They were just people after all.  
After one last strum, I turned to my friends, who were awed.  
"Wow... You're getting really good!" Commented Laura. I beamed in my own pride, delighted at the praise.  
"Yeah! You'll be a pro in no time! Then we can finally get our band off the ground!" Christian poked me in the side. I squeaked, squirmed, and glared at her. She knew how ticklish I was!  
"Well, I would never have gotten anywhere with the idea if I hadn't found a drummer and pianoist." I told them.  
That was us. Laura the pianoist, Christian the drummer, and I, Vincent, the guitarist. It was a very nice set-up. We already had a band name and everything! It took us a good 3 weeks to come up with it; Tidbits. I found it simple and cute.  
"So, what are you guys doing tonight?" Christian addressed us. Laura shrugged.  
"Same 'ole. Same 'ole." She answered, "Sitting around, eating, watching movies." Christian and I chuckled.  
"What about you, Vincent?" Christian turned to me, "Whatcha gonna be doing tonight?" I gave a smirk.  
"Well, if you must know..." I lowered my voice dramatically, "My brother and I are going to the Cirque Du Freak!" They were silenced in shock. Finally, both gasped at the same time.  
"THE CIRQUE DU FREAK?!?!?!?!" They screamed.  
"Ssssssshhhh!!!!!!!!!" I waved my hands at them to try and quiet them. Laura covered her mouth and Christian looked shocked. I looked around to see if anyone had heard. The 2 strange men had stopped and were looking in our direction. I raised an eyebrow at them, which caused them to turn on the spot and start whispering to each other. I leaned closer to my friends. "Edward got 2 tickets from a Mr. Crepsley a few nights ago. He said he looked trustworthy enough enough and just gave my brother them and vanished. Edward hasn't seen him since!" Laura and Christian were quiet for at least 30 seconds, then exclaimed.  
"Wow..........!"


	2. Chapter 2

It took Edward about two hours to convince my parents to let us go to the movies that night. Even though we weren't! They finally let us, but made us promise to be back by midnight. This was good. The Cirque Du Freak was to last until 11:30, which gave us some free-time.  
I was uber excited. I guess i would have to admit that I was excited to see this Mr. Crepsley. Edward had found out that he would be appearing in the show itself! But I had no clue what exactly he was going to be doing. I was anxious, nevertheless.  
"Hey, Vincent! Let's get going! You don't want to miss the movie, do you?" Edward called upstairs. I glanced at the clock. HOLY CRAP!!! 9 PM?!?!?! I had to hurry. I grabbed my jacket and started parading down the stairs.  
"I'm coming! Wait up!" I shouted to my brother. He stood at the front door with his arms crossed, tapping his foot.  
"Well, it's about time!" Edward opened the front door as I charged through the living room. I soared out the front door and took off down the street. Edward took off after me, laughing. "Hey, wait a sec!"  
And togather, we started towards the show that would change my life forever.......


	3. Chapter 3

The show was to start promptly at 9:30. In this case, we sprinted all the way there! It was a very creepy-looking theater that had shut down 10 years ago. I asked Edward why it was shut down.  
"A kid fell off the balcony and was killed. Or, at least, that's what everyone says happened." I shivered at the thought. The place was over 50 years old. It was very possible.  
Togather, Edward and I went up the steps and pushed the door open. *SSSSSCCCHHHRRREEEEEAAACCCHHHH* The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. It was like a door from a horror film or something! We both glanced inside. Edward cleared his throat.  
"Ladies first." He said to me. I scowled at him but walked through a black curtain. On the other side was a long dark hallway. A blood red curtain was draped at the other end. I gulped.  
"Okay, Ed. Come on." I whispered. Edward stepped through and started walking down the hallway. I kept glancing over my shoulder; I had the strangest feeling that we were being watched or followed......or both.  
When I checked behind me for the fifth time, however, I got the shock of my life. Right behind me stood the tallest man I'd ever seen. Of course, I did the natural impulse: I screamed.  
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Edward swiveled around and withdrew a pocket knife. But when he saw that I was merely surprised, he pocketed it.  
"Good evening." He bid us. His voice was unnaturally low. He seemed incredibly familiar. Like I'd seen him before...... "I am terribly sorry for frightening you. My name is Mr. Tall and I am the ringmaster for the Cirque Du Freak."  
"Oh..." Edward sighed with relief. " For a second I thought..." Edward trailed off and never finished the sentence.  
"Do you have your ticket, Vincent?" Mr. Tall asked me.  
"Yes, I-" I was reaching into my pocket but stopped. How did he know my name?! "How-?"  
"I know lots of things about you two." He contemplated us. " I know how Edward here got the flyer and bought the tickets." Edward and I exchanged worried glances. This was freaky! "Tickets, please." As I handed him my ticket, I suddenly remembered where I'd seen him.  
"Hey... You were in Burrough Park this afternoon, weren't you?" I asked. Mr. Tall smiled pleasantly.  
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I was there. Oh, and I must say, your guitar playing is simply spectacular!" I blushed from the comment, as Mr. Tall walked us through the blood red curtain.


	4. Chapter 4

The theater was ginourmous!!! Rows and rows of scarlet seats sat in front of one of the biggest stages I'd ever seen. I turned back to ask Mr. Tall how many people it seated only to discover that he'd gone. The auditorium was nearly packed. There were no other kids my age from what I could see. What I could see though was two perfect seats on the first row.  
"Come on, Edward! We've got to get those seats!" I ran down the aisle towards the front. Edward pursued me, hot on my trail. I sat down in the first chair. It had a perfect view of the stage. Edward sat down beside me.  
"Don't get over excited, Vincent. We don't know if this freak show is just some cruel hoax or the real thing." My brother warned me. I scowled at him.  
"It's real. I just know it in my gut. It's got to be real!" Edward sighed and leaned back.  
"Wake me when it's time." He told me. I didn't know how he could sleep at a time like this. This was probably going to be the most amazing thing we were ever going to see in the history of our lives! How he managed to take a cat-nap, I'll never know.  
Suddenly, several trumpets blasted and Edward sat bolt-right up.  
"It's starting!" I whispered in pure excitement. Then the curtains opened on the stage.  
((The show was exactly how it was in the book.))

I watched in stunned amazement as each performer shared his or her talent with the audience. There was no way that this was fake!  
After all of the acts, Mr. Tall stepped out on stage again.  
"Ladies and Gentlemen, for this next act, I must ask you to remain silent. For consequences might be dire if you don't." Then, as he was slipping off the stage, he said in a voice slightly louder then a whisper, "I present to you, Larten Crepsley and Madame Octa." Every single light in the room dimmed to an eerie glow. Then, a man stepped out onto the stage, carrying something in his hands. He placed the something on a table in center-stage and removed the red top hat he was wearing. The light fell upon him. Edward gasped.  
"Edward, what's wrong?" I asked in a mortified whisper. He shook his head, never taking his eyes from the man.  
"Nothing. Nothing, I'm fine." The man took a deep bow, stood, and announced,  
"Good evening. I am Larten Crepsley." And then his act began.  
It was the most exciting act in the whole show! Madame Octa (his spider) was spectacular! Edward didn't think very much of it through. As a matter of fact, he never gets excited about anything.  
After the show, Mr. Tall strolled up to us casually.  
"So, what do you think?"  
"Amazing! Superb! The most freakishly awesome coolest show ever!!!" Mr. Tall chuckled lightly.  
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. But were you not the least bit scared?"  
"A bit." I admitted. Mr. Tall laughed aloud.  
"Well, I bid you both, Adieu."  
"Bye!"  
"Good-bye….." As soon as Mr. Tall had gone, Edward spoke to me in a low voice.  
"Vincent, listen closely; I've got to speak to Mr. Crepsley, okay?" He told me.  
"What? Why?" I asked, curious.  
"Oh, you know….To thank him for the tickets and all."  
"Oh….okay. Meet you outside then?"  
"Outside." Then, he ran off. I started off towards the exit, feeling very suspicious of my brother. What was he up to?  
Then, I saw the door. Curiosity overwhelmed me and I pushed it open. There were stairs. Up to the balcony? It looked like it. Slowly, I started to ascend. I was going to find out what Edward was up to if it was the last thing I do!  
Once at the top, I gazed down at the stage below. Edward was standing on it.  
"Come out! I know you're here!" No one answered. "Stop being such a coward! I know you're a vampire!" Okay, now I was really burning with curiosity. Who was he talking about?  
Suddenly, a cloaked figure swooped down to the stage. Edward took a step back, surprised, and tripped. He fell backwards with a shout and blacked out as he fell off the stage with a crash.  
I couldn't contain myself. I ran to the edge of the balcony to climb down and kill that cursed man for even making my brother black out. All of a sudden, the balcony gave a lurch and I tumbled head-first over the railing. I screamed. I didn't even see the man turn. But all I knew was that I fell and never hit the ground. Someone had caught me. I looked up to see who the person was.  
It was the same man who had caused Edwards demise, the same who owned a performing spider, the same who had given Edward the tickets to the Cirque Du Freak…….. It was none other than Larten Crepsley.  
My reflexes acted first. My fist impulsively flew up and punched him right in the chin. Crepsley howled in pain and dropped me. I started scrambling back as soon as I hit the ground. I stood and turned, ready to make a run for it, when…… I stopped. It couldn't be….could it? Crepsley was the man who had been with Mr. Tall in the park. The one who had stopped to listen to my guitar. The one to be accused a vampire by Edward.  
Then, I remembered Edward. I sprinted to the first row and held my unconscious brother to me. That's when Crepsley ran up to us and glared down at me. I glared right back. I looked back down at Edward.  
"Edward?" I spoke softly. I shook his shoulder. "Please wake up." That's when I saw the spikes. When Edward fell from the stage, he had landed on an up turned seat cushion on the ground. Spikes 5 inches long were embedded into his back. I gasped and covered my mouth, shaking my head. Then, I placed my hands on Edward. "Edward?" My voice was trembling now. "Edward! Please don't be dead! N-no! Wake up! WAKE UP, EDWARD!!!!!!!!" I was sobbing now, crying into my brother's chest. Edward was dead and it was all my fault. No, wait. It wasn't. It was……  
I rounded on Crepsley, who stood close by, looking shocked. Tears were pouring down my face as I glared at him, teeth bared, wishing to kill him on the spot.


	5. Chapter 5

"You killed him!" I hissed at him. Crepsley opened his mouth to speak, closed it again, and advanced toward me. I took a half-step back. He sighed.  
"I am sorry... I did not mean for it to happen..."  
"THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!" I screamed right in his face. I pointed an accusing finger directly in his face. "You've stolen my brother from me, the most important thing in my life!" Crepsley blinked at my rage. His expression softened slightly. He reached out and put a hand on my pointing one.  
"Calm down, please." He said calmly. "We have a more pressing matter to worry about."  
"Oh, yeah?!" I spat, swiping his hand away. "And what exactly is that?!" Crepsley looked suddenly serious.  
"You cannot return home without your brother." I bit my lip. "What would your parents think if they knew your brother was dead? How could you explain what happened?"  
My body was suddenly weak. I trembled from head to foot. He was right. What could I do? I lowered my head solemnly and let my tears hit the ground. An unrestrained whimper escaped my mouth. My knees gave way and I hit the floor, hand still being held by Crepsley. Sobs racked my body as I wondered where I was going to go. How could I do this to my parents?  
"What... c-can I... do?" I managed to gasp out. I heard Crepsley sigh. He kneeled beside me on the floor.  
"There are two choices." I looked at him, confused. "One, you can run away and be dead within a week..." I glanced over at Edward. "Or, two...." He took a deep breath and made eye contact with me. "You could become a half-vampire and be my assistant."


	6. Chapter 6

Anger and sadness bubbled up inside of me. But another feeling swept over all: Fear. Become a half-vampire? Become his assistant? That would mean I'd have to stick with him. Like glue. I didn't want this!  
I stood abruptly. Now, I was above Crepsley. My gaze was so fiery, I hoped it would burn a hole through him.  
"N-no..." I choked out. I heard my voice was much more frightened then I thought I was. "Never!...I'll never become a vampire! NO WAY IN HECK!!!" I spun on my heel.  
"Fine, then!" Crepsley shouted as I sprinted towards the exit. "Just wait, girl! You will die! Either that, or you'll come crawling back! Run, fool, RUN!!!" And he started laughing.  
I burst through the doors and out into the chilly night. I looked left and then right. I spun in a circle. Where could I go? My breath rose before me in a cloud. Shivering, I pulled my jacket closer.  
I saw the forest.  
Making up my mind, I jogged toward it. I knew that behind the forest was a cliff overlooking neighboring towns. I could review my options there and pick a destination.  
Once underneath the canopy of trees, I realized how much darker it was in here. For a while, I blindly stumbled about, searching for the forest edge.  
Suddenly, I saw a tiny glow in the distance. Eyes never leaving it, I started forward. The light got brighter and brighter until a reached a clearing. I peered out from behind a tree to discover a small campfire. Around it were a gathering of maybe about five people. But... they weren't....normal. All had red hair and eyes and (this is really weird) purple skin.........


	7. Chapter 7

I stared at them for a minute. Never before in my life had I seen such creatures. They were all chattering softly, pleasantly happy it seemed. Almost as if they didn't have a care in the world.  
Envy burned in my heart. I wished I could be as content as them, without a single worry. They had each other; I had no one. A lump rose in my throat and I let out a quiet sob.  
The man closest to me went rigid, falling silent. I bit my lip. Crap. He stood and looked around. I retreated, back pressed against the tree, praying that they didn't find me.  
"Hey, what's wrong?" A voice asked. The rest of the group went silent. Oh, God, please don't let them hear my heart beat….  
"Did you ever say this wasn't vampire territory?" Holy crow, they know about vampires… this is not good.  
"Yeah…"  
"Then we're dealing with a hunter." I gulped. They thought I was a hunter! Wait a sec. What was a hunter? I suddenly heard something like a sword being drawn. "Wait here and I'll take a look around." I heard the others murmur in agreement. I froze stalk-still and held my breath. I couldn't stop my tears of horror, though. The guy's footsteps were getting closer. I shut my eyes.  
CLANG  
"Aha!" I fell to the ground in shock as a blade hit the trunk just above my head. "I told you there was someone watching us!" My attacker bellowed triumphantly. I started scrambling backwards away from them. Someone grabbed me by my upper arms, causing me to yelp in fear, and dragged me to my feet. Torchlight was held up to my face. My heart pounded as a pair of red eyes examined me. His hand cupped my chin and he turned my face left and then right, as if to take in my every detail. I whimpered softly the entire time.  
"Well?" One of them asked the one examining me.  
"She's no hunter. Just a human girl." He then turned to one a whispered, "We should take her to our Lord. Leonard has been looking for an assistant…"  
"Why her, sir? Leonard's killed every one we brought in! Surely, this one will be no different." The one who seemed to be their leader shook his head. He crouched down so that I was eye to eye with him. He regarded me with squinted eyes.  
"This one is special. I can tell." He spoke softly, a small smirk playing his red lips. He stood abruptly. "Tie her up." The others obliged to his order. I gasped every time they tightened the bonds, wincing slightly.  
"No-!" Was all I managed to get out before I was gagged. They merely chuckled and strapped my wrists to a tree.  
"Good evening, gentlemen." A stern, yet soft voice announced on the other side of the clearing. Everyone, including myself looked up in surprise to see……


	8. Chapter 8

"Mmrf!" I tried to yell through my gag, resulting only in the sound of a strangled cat. Mr. Crepsley had stepped into the firelight, red cape rippling in his wake. Arms crossed and eyebrow raised, he observed the scene.  
"Stay back, vampire!" The nearest guy growled, brandishing a knife. Mr. Crepsley took a step closer...... and pounced. He killed two men within five seconds using a pair of jack knives. Darting forward, he resembled a skillful ninja, a black cat boring down on terrified mice.  
The man closest to me stood directlyin front of me, blocking Mr. Crepsley's goal. Mr. Crepsley and another guy circled each other dangerously. The other jumped forward and Mr. Crepsley stabbed him in the chest, ducking to narrowly avoid a sword.  
When he finally finished him off, he started towards the last man....... The one holding me captive.  
"Mrfhrm Mrfrf!!!"  
"Quiet!" The remaining guy pressed a knife to my neck. That shut me up. "Stay where you are or I'll kill her!" Mr. Crepsley stopped dead in his tracks.  
"Come now. All I want is the girl. If you give her over, I may let you go unharmed." He tried to talk reason. The man pulled out a revolver and aimed it at him.  
"Drop your weapons!" Mr. Crepsley got a confused look in his eyes.  
"But you are a vampaneze.-" Huh? "-You are not allowed to use long-range weapons."  
"Only half of me!" The (what was it?) vampaneze sneered, "Even better, I've yet to take the oath. Now, drop your weapons or I'll kill you and her, both!" He cocked the gun. Slowly, Mr. Crepsley laid his knives on the ground. I watched the scene, positively horrified. "Good. Now, turn around and go back to where you came from." Mr. Crepsley started to walk away. Panicking, I struggled against the ropes.  
"Mrf! Mrf hrm hrm!!!"  
"Shut up!" The vampaneze slammed the hiltof the knife against my head, causing me to whimper helplessly.  
I never saw Mr. Crepsley turn.  
In the blink of an eye, his face was a foot from the vampaneze's. He grabbed his throat. With a flick of his wrist, there was a crack and the vampaneze fell at his feet, dead.  
Mr. Crepsley sighed and pushed his hair out of his face.  
"Before I release you, there is something I must say:" He turned to meet my eyes. "Now, you know how dangerous this world is to a lone, human girl. I was once in debt to you, but now, I am not. A life for a life. We are equal." He unsheathed a third knife and sliced through my bonds. In a flourish, I pulled the cloth covering my mouth down around my neck and hugged him around the middle. I sobbed long and hard as he comforted me.  
"I w-was so s-scared!" I cried, hiding my face in his shirt. "I thought I w-was going t-to d-die!"  
"Hush... I am here for you..." Mr. Crepsley pried me from him by my arms and looked me straight in the eyes. "Vincent, will you become my assistant? It is not as bad as it seems. I can protect you and care for you and you will no longer need to worry." Biting my lip, I nodded...


End file.
